Elvis Presley sang about a blue Christmas in his recording of “Blue Christmas.”
The song describes a holiday made emotionally sad by the absence of a loved one. In the lyrics, “blue” works both as a color and as a traditional English expression for sadness, contrasting the singer’s lonely Christmas with someone else’s happier “white Christmas.”
“Blue Christmas” was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and first recorded in 1948. Elvis recorded his best-known version on September 5, 1957, for Elvis’ Christmas Album. The recording features the Jordanaires, whose distinctive backing vocals helped give Presley’s version its recognizable sound.
Elvis did not originate the song, although his performance became the definitive popular version for many listeners. The track was later issued as a single and became a recurring seasonal hit. It is also easy to confuse the title with “White Christmas,” but Presley’s song deliberately turns the familiar snowy Christmas image into a metaphor for heartbreak.